Vail Daily: Admiral to Speak at Beaver Creek Event
Admiral to speak at Beaver Creek event
Former head of U.S. Central Command will speak at sustainable soiree
Cassie Pence
Special to the Daily
Vail, CO ColoradoEAGLE COUNTY, Colorado â When the public and politicians debate climate change, it usually focuses on increasing renewable energy, reducing fossil fuel emissions and saving wildlife habitats. But when Adm. William J. Fallon talks climate change, he doesn’t make pleas for polar bears. He warns how climate change is a direct threat to our national security.
Consequences of climate change â like rising temperatures, surging sea levels and melting glaciers â will affect national security on many different levels, Fallon says. In some cases, changes in the Earth’s climate will exasperate existing world problems, like terrorism, poverty and poor health. In other cases, climate change will create a whole new set of issues to which the world will have to adapt, like new geographic realities. The potential for an increase in commercial and military activities in the Arctic, as frozen areas become open water, is a prime example.
New climate conditions will trigger human migration, as well, Admiral Fallon says. People in search of clean water, food and shelter â climate refugees â will then stress border control, including along America’s borders. In Asia, the melting of Himalayan glaciers jeopardizes fresh water supplies for billions of people dependent on the rivers that feed from it. In North America, agriculture may be disrupted due to a rise in temperatures and a shift in weather patterns.
Fallon will talk about the effects climate change will have on national security â and the subsequent role America should take â as special guest at the second annual EverGreen Ball Aug. 14 at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek.
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